Don't make SST list final, says Fomca

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has to review the items which are subjected to the Sales and Services Tax (SST) and not deem the Customs Department’s list as final.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) deputy president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman said although SST is already in effect, the government has to take into account the people’s complaints on the reintroduced tax.

He said that the government also has to identify goods that are classified as essential items for city and rural folk alike.

“Some items are probably not a necessity in some areas but are crucial for city folk, especially for those who are working. So if it’s a necessity, definitely SST is burdensome,” Yusof said.

He said goods like salted fish, canned items, cendol, biscuits, burger patties, fried chicken and personal care items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap have a tax range of between 5 and 10 per cent.

Yusof said that although the goods were not under the category of essential items, they are still a necessity for the lower income group in the B40 category as well as the M40 middle income group.

Social media was on Friday rocked with news that prepaid cards would be charged a SST rate of six per cent.

This was later confirmed by telecommunication companies, which announced that every RM10 reloaded would only translate to RM9.43 in credit.

Yusof drew on a similar move by telcos during the imposition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) where the public had called on the companies to absorb the negligible sum.

“We hope that Pakatan Harapan (PH) will listen and review this matter and learn from the mistakes of the previous administration.